If you’re looking for something a little different and fun to give as a gift this year, consider a Storyboard. These fun displays are a great way to highlight all the different expressions of your child.

Please come join us for the first annual ELEEF 5k Road Race and Kids Fun Run on September 25th. The Kids Fun Run is for kids 10 and under. The first 40 kids who sign up get one of these fun t-shirts! This is a great way to support ELEEF and raise money for all the extras our teachers need.

The 5k Road Race starts at 9am and the Kids Fun Run starts at 10am. Please come cheer on our kids!

It happened to me recently with a new portrait concept. Something kind of new and different and fun! The tough part was still getting all my other stuff done. Like getting the kids to soccer practice, cooking dinner, working with clients and making sure homework got done. Unfortunately, this also happened to be a week when my husband traveled, so it was extra hectic. By the time he got back on Saturday, I was so wiped out, I had to take naps all weekend in order to catch up on sleep.

The good part about all this is that I’m still jazzed about my new project and am working out the kinks. Here’s a little sneak peek of the upcoming series. Isn’t this little guy adorable? His eyelashes are to die for. Can’t wait to share the rest with you soon.

When I started looking at all the images we created that day, my first thought was that she looks like a princess. Remember when you were a little girl (forgive me if you’re a guy reading this) and you dressed up and pretended you were part of a fairy tale? That’s what this reminded me of. And it got me thinking, if I were a princess, what would my life be like?

For many it may be that you have all the fancy clothes you want or maybe it’s lots of money. For me, being a princess means that I would be able to spend my time doing all the things I wanted to do and not have a care in the world. And that is what I think of when I look at this little princess. So, the question is, what do you imagine your life to be if you were a princess?

It’s time to vote again for the “Little Model” who best represents Spring!

Scroll down to look at all 12 contestants and choose your favorite below the images. Remember, all these kids are adorable, but we want to choose the model who best represents the spirit of youth and Spring.

Contest Rules:

You may vote once and only once!
If it is determined that someone is voting multiple times, the contestant will be disqualified.

Voting ends 11:59pm on April 21st

Winner will be announced Friday, April 22nd

This portrait contest is for kids 10 years and younger who live in Western Mass and will be held at the Norcross House in East Longmeadow.

I held this contest last year and it was a blast! Click here to see images from last year.

What:  ’Spring Has Sprung’ Little Models Contest
Who:  Children 10 and under
Where:  Heritage Park Gazebo, N. Main Street, East Longmeadow (across from 382 N. Main St.)
When:  Friday ~ April 15th ~ 9:30am-11:30am
Saturday ~ April 16th ~ 12pm-2pm

Each child who enters will be photographed for about 10 minutes during the times listed above. This contest is not about who is the most adorable, we know ALL children are adorable! It is about the model that best personifies Spring!
The images will be posted on a web gallery for friends and family to make their vote. The winner will receive over $200 in gifts and prizes!

There will be balloons, pinwheels, and lots of laughter. All models must register in advance by contacting Suzanne at 413.525.9089.

Tip:  Have your child wear bright, vibrant colors. Raincoats and umbrellas work great too!

Contest Rules: Images will be posted by Tuesday, April 19th, on this blog. Voting will end on Thursday, April 21st at 11:59pm and the winner will be announced on Friday, April 22nd.

So this past weekend, I realized that my daughter only had one pair of shoes that fit her. The other ones were either completely ruined or were just too small. Now Mama was on a mission. Let’s get this girl some shoes! Hubby and I herded the two kids in the car and made our way to a nearby locally-owned shoe store. They have a good selection of shoes that are well-made, but still reasonably priced. After all, kids are really tough on shoes.

Ok. So we walk in and immediately, hubby finds a chair and starts playing a game on his droid. Son is running around in circles and Daughter is already pouting.

Me: How about these?

Daughter: Uh, uh.

Me: How about these?

Daughter: *Grunt*

I’m trying really hard to be patient so I say, “Do you see anything you like?”

Daughter walks over to a pair of sneakers that look remarkably like the one pair of shoes she actually has that fit her and looks up at me hopefully. I say, “You already have a pair of sneakers. How about we find some shoes that will look nice with a dress?”

At this point I ask the clerk to bring out all the “dressy shoes” that are in her size. Thinking I’m being an awesome mom, I say to Daughter, “You can choose whichever ones you like.” Big mistake.

Daughter: They’re all stupid.

Now I’m just irritated. Here I am telling her she can basically choose any shoe in the store, except for the pair of sneakers that are practically a duplicate of the ones she already has. So I shift my focus to Son.

Me: Son, do you like any shoes in here?

Son: Yeah, I like these shiny silver sneakers.

Me: Ok, let’s try them on.

I give hubby the look that says, “You talk to her”, then I walk to the other side of the store that has grown-up shoes and find myself a sweet little pair of wine colored Dansko clogs that make me at least two inches taller. Yay!

Now Daughter is sobbing because her brother gets to get a new pair of shoes and she doesn’t. I try to make a last ditch effort to find her something, but now she just wants to get something for the sake of getting it and I’m not giving in. Instead, I say, “Let’s try another store.”

With lot’s of sobbing in the back seat, we headed over to Sears and after a little distraction and gentle consoling, we managed to find a cute little pair of silver ballet shoes. Phew! Shopping for shoes with a strong-willed 8 year old girl can really take a toll. So how’d we celebrate? With ice-cream, of course! More for us than her, but don’t tell her that.

Option 1: Child’s Valentine Session, which includes the session, three gift-sized portraits (5×7), and one digital file you can use to make custom valentines for your child to hand out in class.

Option 2: Couple’s Valentine Session, which includes the session, a mini 3″ album, and two Facebook images.

Each is offered for just $179, a savings of over $100. I’m only offering these sessions on January 29th, and space is limited so call to reserve your session. Also, did you know that we offer business portraits? And this month, we are offering our $249 on-location business portrait session for the studio price of $149. This is a great deal!

Last year, as it got closer to Valentine’s Day, my kids starting asking me about valentines. I dread taking my kids to CVS to stand there and sort through the mounds of valentines offered for kids so I decided to make my own. I figured it would be more fun and more personal. See the example of what we did last year. This is a fun way to use your child’s photo for something a little different.

But let’s not leave out us “grown ups”. What a great time to get a portrait of you and your spouse. Our Couple’s Valentine Session is quick and fun. Think back to those old photo booths where you make silly faces into the camera and at each other.

Call us today to reserve your Valentine Session! 525.9089